1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fishing rods and more particularly, to a fishing rod butt and reel seat assembly for use in receiving and supporting a fishing rod and fishing reel thereon that is specifically structured to minimize manufacturing costs and assembly time while providing at the same time, a substantially strong device able to withstand the large bending forces, loads, stresses and otherwise heavy duty use to which such devices are often subjected.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most conventional fishing rods used for deep sea sport fishing are made of three primary sections, namely, an elongate rod blank, a handle or butt, and a reel seat. Typically, the distal end of the elongate rod blank is intended to be fitted within the handle or butt. The reel seat is commonly secured directly to the butt rather than to the fishing rod itself. The end of the butt is frequently in the form of a gimbal having intersecting notches, and therefore, the distal end of the butt is specifically configured to be received within a socket permanently but movably mounted on a xe2x80x9cfighting chairxe2x80x9d on a boat or even on a xe2x80x9cfighting beltxe2x80x9d secured to a fisherman. In the sport of game fishing, strong forces are often encountered, which forces are transmitted through the rod to the butt assembly. Many fishing rods are not able to withstand the tremendous stress associated with deep sea fishing and have a tendency to break under the high load conditions inherent in the sport. Given the enormous amount of stress and xe2x80x9cbending forcesxe2x80x9d placed on the butt assembly, it is imperative that its construction and design be adequate to withstand the aforementioned forces and to maintain a certain amount of structural integrity throughout its life.
Various fishing butt and reel seat assemblies have been designed in the past to overcome the tendency to break under the high load conditions present in the sport of game fishing. Many of the known devices are constructed from a plurality of intricately machined or interlocking parts in order to increase the structural strength and durability of the fishing butt assembly. A recurring problem however, is that the manufacturing process for such devices is labor intensive and costly. In an effort to reduce the increased costs associated with such multi-part butt assemblies, others have designed unitary or one piece fishing butt and reel seat assemblies. Known unitary designs, however, are viewed as having problems in terms of their structural integrity and ability to adequately withstand the heavy duty use to which they are exposed. Alternatively, the materials used to construct other known unitary fishing butt assemblies often hinder the performance of the fisherman or are simply unreliable. For instance, in order to provide a unitary fishing butt assembly which is sufficiently strong to meet the structural demands of the sport, some in the art have formed the entire fishing butt structure out of a sturdy, solid metallic material. This, however, results in the device being expensive in that costly metal finishing is required but also, results in the device being slippery, heavy, cumbersome and only expedient to the fatiguing of the fisherman. In addition, such devices are susceptible to rapid heating and becoming too hot to handle, particularly given that most deep sea fishing occurs in highly sunny conditions with no shade available. Consequently, many such devices utilize insulating materials such as foam, cork or wood to form a gripping surface for the user and to protect the user""s hands from the heat conductive metals. A problem frequently encountered in such devices is that the metallic and insulating materials have different thermal expansion coefficients and therefore, expand and contract at different rates, which has resulted in the cracking and general deterioration of the insulating material.
It would, therefore, be highly advantageous to provide a unitary fishing butt and reel seat assembly which overcomes the afore-mentioned problems in the art. Specifically, it would be highly beneficial to provide a unitary fishing butt and reel seat assembly which minimizes the costs and assembly time associated with manufacturing such a device while at the same time, maintaining the structural integrity of the device necessary to withstand the large bending forces and loads which such devices are subjected to. Any such unitary fishing butt should be relatively light weight so as facilitate its maneuverability when used during fishing and delay the fatigue of the user. It would also be highly beneficial to provide a unitary fishing butt and reel seat assembly which offers an insulative material sleeve which can accommodate the different thermal expansion rates of the materials used in the device and further, which can be easily replaced, if desired.
The present invention is directed towards an improved fishing butt and reel seat assembly designed to address the needs which remain in the art. The fishing butt and reel seat assembly of the present invention comprises a substantially strong, rigid, one piece rod having a first open end and a second open end and a main length extending therebetween, which is preferably hollow, in open communication with the open ends, and of a circular cross section. The rod of the present invention preferably includes both a reel seat portion and a shank portion, and further, the exterior diameter of the shank portion is preferably larger than that of the reel seat portion. The reel seat portion is sized to receive a fishing reel seat thereon and includes means for securely receiving and retaining the fishing reel thereon, which means are movably mounted on the reel seat portion. Preferably, the reel seat portion includes an abutment section located generally adjacent the shank portion of the rod which is defined by an exterior diameter that is larger than that of the reel seat portion but smaller than that of the shank portion. Preferably, the second end of the shank portion includes a gimbal receiving portion characterized by a reduced exterior diameter which is smaller than that of the main length of the shank portion.
In the preferred embodiment, the fishing butt and reel seat assembly of the present invention further comprise a gripping sleeve, the gripping sleeve having a first open end, a second open end and a main tubular body extending therebetween which is sized to generally correspond to the shank portion of the rod. The gripping sleeve is structured to be slidably mounted on and secured to the shank portion of the rod. Preferably, the gripping sleeve is formed of a substantially rigid, yet light weight insulative material such as nylon, which has its own thermal expansion rate but can accommodate a different thermal expansion rate of the one piece rod which makes up the fishing butt and reel seat assembly. Also preferably, the gripping sleeve includes a plurality of longitudinally disposed ribs formed on an inner wall surface thereof to maintain the gripping sleeve at a small, spaced apart distance from the outer surface of the one piece rod. Additionally, the fishing butt and reel seat assembly of the present invention further comprises a gimbal structured to be slidably mounted and secured on the shank portion of the rod generally near the second open end, preferably on a gimbal receiving portion defined thereat, which gimbal is sized to fit in abutting engagement with the second open end of the gripping sleeve.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fishing butt and reel seat assembly which comprises an integral, one-piece rod or shaft and which further minimizes the materials utilized, assembly time needed and the overall costs associated with the manufacture of such an assembly.
An advantage of the present invention is that the one piece rod or shaft which includes both a reel seat portion and shank portion, both of which can be entirely formed by one machine instead of by several machines as is required of fishing butt devices presently known in the art.
A feature of the present invention is that the gripping sleeve can be slidably mounted onto the shank portion of the rod and can be removed and replaced with another gripping sleeve, if desired.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fishing butt and reel seat assembly which is strong and durable so as to withstand the stress and bending forces encountered during sport fishing.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a fishing butt and reel seat assembly which is sufficiently strong and stress resistant and yet, which will not be heavy, cumbersome nor fatiguing to the fisherman utilizing the invention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fishing butt and reel seat assembly which is light weight relative to known devices and therefore, may also be used while trolling or drifting in a boat for fish as well as for deep sea fishing regardless of whether the fisherman is seated in a xe2x80x9cfighting chairxe2x80x9d or is standing up, with either the rod in a xe2x80x9cfighting beltxe2x80x9d or in fishing rod holder on the boat.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a fishing butt and reel seat assembly wherein the materials used to construct the invention will be tolerant of the different rates of thermal expansion.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following more detailed description and the appended drawings.